Martin Scorsese's 'Hugo' and more directors' change-ups

Caption'Hugo'

Jaap Buitendijk / Paramount Pictures

Who would have thought that Martin Scorsese, the man whose films are as adult as they come, would ever make a film specifically designed to appeal to the holiday family audience? But that's exactly what he did with "Hugo," the 3-D children's fantasy film based on the book, "The Invention of...

Who would have thought that Martin Scorsese, the man whose films are as adult as they come, would ever make a film specifically designed to appeal to the holiday family audience? But that's exactly what he did with "Hugo," the 3-D children's fantasy film based on the book, "The Invention of... (Jaap Buitendijk / Paramount Pictures)

For a director most known for baby boomer subjects ("The Doors," "Born on Fourth of July," "Platoon"), political biographies ("W.," "Nixon," "JFK") and spectacles of violence ("Natural Born Killers," "Savages"), a sword-and-sandal epic seemed to come from out of left field. But the director...

For a director most known for baby boomer subjects ("The Doors," "Born on Fourth of July," "Platoon"), political biographies ("W.," "Nixon," "JFK") and spectacles of violence ("Natural Born Killers," "Savages"), a sword-and-sandal epic seemed to come from out of left field. But the director... (Warner Bros. Pictures)

David Fincher made his name in stylish and dark music videos and transitioned to even more stylish and darker feature films, such as the serial killer thriller "Seven," the serial killer drama "Zodiac" and the relentlessly bleak "Alien3." But perhaps to avoid being pigeonholed as the "serial...

David Fincher made his name in stylish and dark music videos and transitioned to even more stylish and darker feature films, such as the serial killer thriller "Seven," the serial killer drama "Zodiac" and the relentlessly bleak "Alien3." But perhaps to avoid being pigeonholed as the "serial... (Merrick Morton / Paramount Pictures)

Steven Spielberg became a Hollywood legend with his thrillers and childhood fantasy films, but by the mid-1980s, he was looking for a new challenge. He chose to go from the matinee-style thrills of "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" to the quiet and ultra-serious themes of Alice Walker's...

Steven Spielberg became a Hollywood legend with his thrillers and childhood fantasy films, but by the mid-1980s, he was looking for a new challenge. He chose to go from the matinee-style thrills of "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" to the quiet and ultra-serious themes of Alice Walker's... (Warner Bros.)

Lawrence Kasdan may be the guy who wrote "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Empire Strikes Back," but as a director, his reputation was built on being the mouthpiece of the baby boomer generation, with dramas such as "The Big Chill" and "Grand Canyon." Though he occasionally dipped into comedy and...

Lawrence Kasdan may be the guy who wrote "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Empire Strikes Back," but as a director, his reputation was built on being the mouthpiece of the baby boomer generation, with dramas such as "The Big Chill" and "Grand Canyon." Though he occasionally dipped into comedy and... (Warner Bros.)